Self-playing musical instrument.



L. B. DOMAN. SELF PLAYING MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

APPLIOATION FILED MAR.13,1906.

1,038,498. Patented S ept.'10,1912.

WfhlfJlS, f y/a n}? NIT D vsT rus PATENT. ()FEICE.

LEWIS B. DOMAIN, or ELBRIDGEQNE YQRK,

SELF-PLAYING MUSICAL INSTRUMENT;

Application filed Mare To all whom it may concern: v I

Be it known that I, LEWIS'B-D MAN, of Elbridge, in the county of Onondaga, in the State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Self-Playing Musical Instruments, of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a full, clear, and exact descripduring the winding of the music-sheet uponv l the take-up roller,'and is thrown out of. ac

tion during the re-winding of the music-.

sheet upon the other roller.

Heretofore it has been customary to shift the pinion or sliding intermeshing gear into and out of action by means of a lever, in

which case'the engagement of the pinion with thegear on the take-up roller is very abrupt, and it some times happens that the momentum of the take-up roller at theend of the rewind keeps it revolving for some time after the music'sheet has been woundentirely upon the re-winding roller, and

therefore, any sudden intermeshing' of the pinion with the gear is more or less liable to damage the teeth of the intermeshing parts. 1

In my present invention I have sought to overcome this ditliculty throughthe medium of a pneumatic which is yieldingly connected to throw the pinion into mesh with the gear of the take-up roll, and is'also employed to throw the pinion out of mesh with said gear and to simultaneously operate the clutch member for driving the rewinding roller.

Another-object is to simultaneously out ofl the pneumatic key-action from'the wind-inducing device when the clutch operating pneu tic is operated to connect the motor with t e rewinding roller, whereby the entire force of the wind-inducing device is diverted to the pneumatic motor duringthe rewind.

Otherobjects and uses win be ac u a in the following description. the draw ngsinvention, I have s own a take-up or windingroller and a rewinding roller 2-'-, upon which is mounted a music-sheet ..-3- to vtravel in the usual manner across ,small diameter. cured toone end of an axially movable rosprocket-wheel 8'- rigid thereon and corn a.

nected by a chain or similar power-transfmitting device -.9to a sprocketwheel I 10Von a motor-shaft 11-, the-latter 'constituting the main driving shaft. 3 y I Loosely mounted upon the shaft-7 is et -wheel 12- 6-e is thrown out of'mesh with the gear The for ski-fling igure 1 a sectional Specification of Letters Patent. Patnted'sept. 1 0, 1912.

1113, 1906. Serial no. 305,7 4. p

view iofa pneumatic self-playing musical 1 instrument embodying thejfeatur'es of my invention.- Fig. '2. is a. detailview of the connections between the motor shaft and rollers for winding; and re-winding the mu- 1 Indemonstratin the practicability of the ducts of a suitable tracker 4'.'

The takeuproller ''-1 is journaled in a l as '--A-, and is provided with a gear -5 v suitable bearings in the supporting frame,

of comparatively large diameter'ad'aptedIto mesh with the pinion +6 of comparatively This pinion 6 is se tary sh 'aft';--7 which is also journaled in theframe -A and is providedv with a a second sprocket-wheel 4-12- which is connectled by a belt, -,13--.to a somewhat journaled'inthe frame -g-A-. a

The sprocket '-'-8- is provided with a laterally projecting .elutch; member ,-"16-' and out of interlocking engagement with asimilar clutch-member +17 onthe sprock- This latter sprocket-wheel -l2- is heldfrom axial movement by a shoulder -18'.- enterin an annular. groovev -1;9'-- inthewhub of t e wheel -.-12- so that the latter is free to: rotate when the clutchmembers ---16 and 17-' are inv i 100 ,-1-7 are so arranged relatively to each other and to the pinion as to interterlocked. These clutch members -'16 and with each other as soon asthe pinion -5-5 but when the shaft -'7- is shifted. in the oppositedirection,- or to the right of Fig. 1;, the clutch-member"16- is with-,

drawn. tirom 'interlocking engagement 'with the clutch member -,-17 as soon asthe pin ion 6- intermesheswith the gear h M t pom the basis of my present at, smaller sprocket-wheeli l-e' on the re- -winding roller shaft ,i'15-, which'is also which is movable with the shaft,-7.-, into 26-- projecting into the path of movement of the lever 21 and against which said lever is normally held by the spring --20, that is, the pin 26 is on the same side of the lever as the connection of the spring 20 with the movable side of the pneumatic 19-- so that the end of the lever which is connected to the grooved collar 25 is free to move away from the pin 26- against the action of the spring 20 when the pneumatic -19 is deflated in a manner hereinafter described.

The pneumatic -19-- may be distended by the admission thereto of atmospheric air or by a suitable distending spring, as

-27, and in this distended Iposition serves to shift the shaft --7 axial v through the medium of the pin 26-- and lever -21-- to engage the clutch members ''16 and -17-- and to simultaneously diseng e the pinion -6- from the gear -5-- whi e the motor shaft -11- is in action. This motor shaft is always driven in the same direction and transmits similar motion in the direction indicated by arrows -X- to the shafts 7- and -15-- when theclutchmembers 16- and 17- are interlocked,

but as soon as these clutch-members are disnism may shaft -7-, and I have shown the motors engaged by the axial shifting of the shaft -7 through the medium of the pneumatic 19-, when deflated, the pinion --6- is immediately engaged with the gear 5- to rotate the roller -1- and wind the musicsheet in the opposite direction.

The shaft 11 is driven by pneumatic motors 28- similar to those set forth in my pending a plication No. 249,250, filed March 9, 1905, ut so far as my resent ap-' plication is concerned, any suite le mechabe employed for rotating the -28- and shaft 11 for the purpose of producing an operative combination of elements.

As in my pending application 249,250 previously referredto I provide means for cutting off connection between the wind inducing device and sound producin devices during the rewind of the music-s eet, and for this purpose I have shown one of the valve shelves 29- of the scund-producin devices as connected by a conduit 30 an 32 in which a partial vacuum is maintained by a suitable wind inducing devicpgs not shown. Within this chamber -32 a pneumatic -33- having an air inlet duct 34 adapted to be opened and closed to atmosphere by a sliding valve 35-.

The valve 36 is actuated by inflation of the pneumatic 33 when the valve -35 is opened to close the port 31 and cut off communication between the exhaust chamber 32' or wind inducing device and valve chamber -29 of the sound producing devices.

The clutch operating pneumatic 19 may be connected in any desired manner to any of the wind ways leading from the sound producing devices to the wind indncing device, but I preferably establish communication between this pneumatic -19 and the wind way between the valved port 81- and valve-shelf 29 through a suitable conduit -37, so that when the valve 36 is open for establishing communication between the wind inducing dcvice and sound producing devices some com munication is established with the pneumatic 19 for deflating the latter. thereby throwing the rewinding mechanism out of action and simultaneously connecting the winding mechanism with the take-up roller 1, said pneumatic -19 being held in this deflated condition as long as the valve 36 is held open by the closing of the valve 35 or during the rendition of the musical selection.

When it is desired to shift the driving mechanism from the take-up rOlleI' to the rewinding roller it is simply necessary to open the valve 35 and thereby admitting atmos heric air into and inflating the pneumatic 33 which closes the valve 3(l thereby cutting ofi communication between the pneumatic 19 and wind inducing device, thus relieving the air-tension in said pneumatic 19- and allowing the spring 27 to distend the same suitable provision being made for the admission of air to aid the s ring in expanding the pneumatic.

This distention of the pneumatic 19'--- causes the pin 26 to engage and rock and lever --21 to move the shaft 7 endwise thereby throwing the pinion 6 out of mesh with the gear 5 of the take-up roller and simultaneously locking the clutch members ----16 and --17 to connect the driving mechanism with the rcwindin; roller. It is now clear that the action of the pneumatic 19- is controlled primarily by making and breaking connection or communiqation between it and the wind inducing device, that is, it is deflated by partially exhausting the air therefrom to throw the winding mechanism into action and the rewinding mechanism out of action, but is 35-, the shaft 7- is drawn axially bypreferably distended by the spring 27 when communication with the wind inducing device is. cut off. NVhen this pneumatic -19- is in communication with the Wind.

inducing device through the medium of theconduit -37 during which time the pneumatic -33 is cut off from communication with atmosphere by closing the valve the spring 20- and lever 2l to disengage, the "clutch members 16 and -17 and to simultaneously throw the pinion 6 into mesh with the take-uproller-gear -5- for winding the musicsheet 3 upon the take-up roller 1 during the rendition of a musical selection. If, however, the pinion -6 should not immediately intermesh with the gear 5-' by reason of the engagement of the adjacent faces of the gears, it would not interfere with the complete collapse of the pneumatic 19, because the sprin 20- would allow such collapse and still maintain a tension upon the lever --21-- tending to draw the shaft 7- endwise to cause the pinion -6- to intermesh with the gear --5 as soon as the teeth came into registration. It is now clearthat the valve 35- controls the action of the pneumatics .19 and 33- to connect the pneumatic l9-- with the wind inducing device and thereby throw thedriving mechanism into connection with the take-up roller, or when the valve 35 is opened the pneumatic --33 is immediately inflated to close the valve -36, by which operation the pneumatic -19- and wind-chest 29 are simultaneously cut off from communication with the wind inducing device, thus removing the air tension from the pneumatic 19and allowing the spring ---27- to distend it and thereby throw the rewinding mechanism into action and the winding mechanism out of action.

What I claim:

1. In a self-playing musical instrument a music sheet, actuating mechanism includ ing a clutch, an actuating member connected to the clutch, a pneumatic yieldingly connected to said member to actuate the same, and means for controlling the actionof said pneumatic.

2. In combination with winding and rewinding radirs for a traveling music sheet, a driving mechanism for said rollers including an axially moving shaft, a pneumatic and operating means therefor and connections between the pneumatic and shaft including a spring for moving the shaft endwise in one direction.

3. In combination with winding and rewinding rollers for a traveling music sheet, a driving mechanism for said rollers including an axially moving shaft, apneumatic and operating means therefor and connections between the pneumatic and shaft including a spring for moving the shaft endwise in one direct-ipn, and additional means actuated by the pneumatic for positively moving the shaft in the opposite .direction.

' 4:. In combination with winding and rewinding rollers for a traveling music sheet, driving mechanism for said rollers including a clutch, a pneumatic and operating means therefor, connections between said pneumatic and clutch including a spring for shifting the clutch-in one direction.

5. In combination with winding and rewinding rollers for a traveling music sheet, driving mechanism for said rollers including a clutch, a pneumatic and operatin means therefor, connections between sai pneumatic and clutch including a sprin for shifting the clutch in one direction, an additional means actuated by the pneumatic for positively shifting the clutch in the opposite direction.

6. In music sheet roller mechanisms, a roller adapted to wind thereon a music sheet, roller driving means for rotating the roller, a pneumatic, and means, including a spring and connectlng the pneumatic and driving means, through which the roller driving mechanism is controlled by the pneumatic.

7. In music sheet roller mechanisms, a roller adapted to wind thereon a music sheet, a rotary driving shaft, means for rotating the roller when the shaft is moved to a predetermined position, a pneumatic, and

means, including a spring and connecting the shaft and pneumatic, by which the pneumatic moves the shaft to said predetermined position. a i

In w tness whereof I have; hereunto set my hand this 1st day of March 1906.

LEWIS B. DOMAN.

Witnesses Nn'rrm A. BIBBnNs, M. E. ELnI'o'rr.

mates of thin patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the @ommissloner of Eatents,

Washington, D. C.

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